Drunken Demon
by Xiyazaki
Summary: Kagome must decide what to do after Inuyasha gets drunk and can’t recall the things that he says. She must decide whether or not he meant the things he said, and if he did, whether she should confess her feelings in return...
1. Thirst

Author's Note: I'm back! I know that I haven't updated for an extremely lengthy period of time, and I apologize. I've been extremely busy- this year being my junior year of high school, and I didn't have time to update. But while I was away, all these ideas popped up in my head, and I suddenly had the inspiration to write several new stories. Expect loads of stories in the next week or so! **Warning**: Eyestrain may ensue, due to the fact that I tend to get carried away with my writing. (Just a joke, of course.) I plan to update all of my stories before I leave for Christmas vacation with my family. I love hearing from you guys, so please review and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. 

* * *

Drunken Demon

* * *

Inuyasha scowled, his hands pressing a clock closely to his face. "All right. Which one of these damn symbols makes Kagome come home?" he asked, frustrated. He had been here for a lengthy period of time- and, not being able to actually _tell time_, wasn't exactly sure how long he had been there. He tapped the glass surface of the clock and it cracked. 

"Damn it. I don't think it's supposed to do that," he muttered. He wasn't even sure what it was. Supposedly, it was supposed to tell him the time. He had tried to make it talk, but it remained silent, even under his intense line of questions about when Kagome would be returning. Since she wasn't here, he figured that she was at school. Shrugging, he looked at the cracked piece of junk mounted between his fingers. He stashed it underneath the kitchen table. Good thing Kagome's family had a cloth draped over their table. 

He had explored the house several times, and had found nothing of interest to him. Well, there had been that soul-snatching box in the den. There had been all sorts of souls trapped in there- and they were moving all about, talking to each other as if nothing was out of sorts. Like moving pictures. There had been several images of the box, and he kept hearing some man's voice shouting something about "TVs" and "low prices". So this thing was called a TV, whatever the hell that meant. He couldn't believe that Kagome wanted to live in a world where they sold soul-snatching devices! Well. She was fully human, after all. He shrugged, as if Kagome being a Mortal was an excuse for her possession of the evil device known as a "TV." This world was sick. Anyway, being the good hearted half-demon that he was, he had destroyed it with his Tetsaiga. He knew he had triumphed after the stupid soul-snatching box had sparked, and made some weird strangling noise. He couldn't wait to brag about it to Kagome. She would be impressed. Hopefully.  

Inuyasha had come in through the well, bored out of his mind, and hoping that Kagome would be interested in- he grimaced. What was that phrase? 

"Hanging up?" he muttered to himself. No, that wasn't it. 

"Hanging…in." Inuyasha stated dryly. No, no! Hmm. He mused over it. 

"Hanging out!" He smirked, feeling rather proud at having remembered the phrase. He wasn't exactly sure what it meant, but he had heard Kagome ask her friend to "hang out" one time on the "phone". Kagome had tried to explain it to him, but she soon gave up, exasperated, because he simply could not grasp the concept of malls and such, having come from an entirely different era. When she left to hang out that day, he had retreated back through the well to his home, and had sulked around all day. Even though he was reluctant to admit it, nothing interesting ever happened when Kagome wasn't around. Just like today. So that was why he had come. Nothing was happening back home- at least not today, and he swore that he would throw up if he caught Miroku making lovey dovey faces at Sango one more time. Why didn't he just tell her that he loved her? Idiot. 

Why didn't he himself tell Kagome how he felt? Oh, wait. He knew why. Rejection. But he was Inuyasha! How could any woman possibly resist his charms? He smirked cockily to himself. But the smile was replaced with a grimace. He didn't fear demons that were twice his size. He didn't fear Naruku, even having known that the hell-demon could mess up his life at any second. He didn't even fear Sesshomaru, his older demon brother. But he feared rejection. 

"Feh," he snorted. Suddenly feeling nervous- though he didn't like to admit it- he sauntered around the house, searching for a drink of some sort to calm his nerves. Where did they keep the water? Something suddenly caught his attention. 

"What's this?" he asked, pulling an object from its position. It had been tucked away neatly underneath a sofa cushion, but his keen eyesight had taken note of the slight bulge that the cushion had. Since it had been positioned so cleverly, Inuyasha assumed that it was supposed to have been hidden. What was it? The bottle was a dark forest green, so he wasn't able to see its contents, but he felt the liquid inside sloshing around as he shook it. Just a stupid bottle. He was about to stuff it back underneath the cushions, but something stirred in his memory. 

He remembered that they had been on a long, hot summer hike back in his world that and Kagome had once complained bitterly that she had forgotten to bring along a water bottle. So this wasn't just a _bottle_- it was a _water bottle_! His ears twitched eagerly. He was careful not to crack the bottle with his claws; it was made of glass for some odd reason. Why was it made of glass? Didn't it just make disposal more inconvenient? Stupid humans, he thought. As he moved to inspect the peculiar human Inuyasha's fingers pressed against a slick surface, and he peered at the tag wrapped around the bottle. The writing system between his era and Kagome's era was practically the same, but Kagome's world was far more advanced that his own, and there were a lot of new words that she had to teach him. Why couldn't he understand this word? It was a water bottle, wasn't it? So shouldn't it have said "Water" on the tag? Feh. Humans had a fancy name for everything. He tried to pronounce the strange new word for water.

 "Al-Alholoc." He scowled. Kagome had taught him a few new words, and he was sure she had mentioned this one. But when he pronounced it, it somehow didn't sound right. He tried again. 

"Alcoloh." Hmm. His face twisted into a perplexed grimace. Ah, to hell with the name. He didn't give a damn what it was called. He was thirsty, and it was only water, after all. He popped a clawed finger into the cork, and withdrew it from the bottle's neck. A strong odor filled his nostrils, and he staggered back from the acrid smell. 

"What the hell did they do to this water?" he growled. There was no way he was going to drink that tainted liquid. For all he knew, it was poison. Kagome's family was pretty crazy...especially her younger brother, Sota. He had seen that wild, insane look lurking behind his eyes when he smiled. Or maybe that was just the way he looked when he was happy. 

"Demon child," Inuyasha muttered to himself. Eh. What was he saying? Oh, right. There was no way that he was going to- he was interrupted suddenly; as if on cue, his throat had dried, leaving him gasping. His lips were parched. 

"What the hell?" he managed to rasp. Damn it! He was dying of thirst here. There was no choice. He stared back at the bottle, and glared at the liquid rippling about inside. Taking a deep breath, afraid it was to be his last, he took a big swig of the liquid. Inuyasha felt it streaming down his throat; his eyes widened. 

"This stuff isn't so bad," he remarked thoughtfully. Without further hesitation, he downed the whole bottle in a matter of seconds. He began swaying to and fro, snickering quietly to himself. 

"In fact, this stuff tastttttes gooooooood." 

* * *

That's it for the first chapter, but don't worry, I'll update soon! I hope that you guys liked this chapter; there's much more to come. Until next time: Adieu. 

-Kizuhari-


	2. Confession

* * *

Drunken Demon

* * *

Kagome hummed softly to herself as she pushed her key through the lock, and turned it, unlocking the door to her house. She was feeling rather cheerful today, though nothing interesting had really happened. School was, as usual, boring and stressful at the same time. She really wasn't into the latest gossip, so while her friends sat and chatted away about who was dating whom, she had simply sat there and thought about other things. Like Inuyasha. A blush rose to her cheeks at the very thought. Where had that come from? She shook her head, as if to brush off the thought.  Making sure to lock the door behind her, she made her way into the living room. She glanced up, trying to see what time it was, but the empty patch of wall suspended above her head caused her brows to crease in bewilderment. Huh? Where was the clock? She wrinkled her brows in confusion, but shrugged it off. It was just a dumb clock, after all. Who cared if it was missing? Besides, her mom or Grandpa had probably removed it to clean it or something. 

"I have way too much homework today," she muttered. Kagome adjusted her backpack straps and began moving through the hallways. Entering her room, she dropped her heavy backpack onto the ground with a satisfying thud. Stupid school, she winced. It was ridiculous, the amount of homework that teachers assigned students each day. She rubbed her sore shoulders. It took her a few moments to realize there was something odd about her room. She was the shard detector after all; she could just sense these things. Sniffing the air, she narrowed her eyes. Was that Grandpa's alcohol? His room was located on the other side of the hallway- how could she smell it from her room? Had her Grandpa entered her room in one of his drunken days? Oh, Grandpa, she thought, shaking her head. That explained the smell, then. Shrugging, she unzipped her back and removed her books, preparing to study for the tests she was taking tomorrow. 

"Heyyyyyyyyy theeeeere, Kaaaag. Ooooome. Kaaaagooooome" A voice broke into the silence. This was followed by a fit of childish laughter. 

Kagome yelped and jumped up so fast that she knocked her chair to the ground. "Inuyasha?" she asked, clutching a hand to her heart, which was beating extremely fast. Her look of surprise quickly morphed into an angry scowl. 

"What were you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?" she snapped. Kagome hadn't realized that he had been in her room, and he had startled her badly. Inuyasha had been propped up against the wall in her bathroom, so she hadn't seen him when she came in. Inuyasha staggered forward, a dream-like expression transfixed onto his face. He smiled widely at her, his lips twisted into a dopey smile. From the way he kept looking at her, and from his sluggish movements, she could tell that he was acting weird. Something like a warning bell triggered in her mind. Kagome began backing away, her arms wrapped over herself, as if in a defensive position. Every step she took backward, he took forward. 

"Are you…feeling all right, Inuyasha?" she asked, trying to remain calm. An exaggerated laugh erupted from his lips. 

"I'm fiiiiiiiiine. Hooowww arrrrrreee yooooooooouuuuu?" he gushed. She took several steps backward, only to find the wall pressing defiantly against her back. He kept branching forward, and things were not looking good. 

"Don't come any closer!" she shouted, screwing her eyes shut and holding up her hands. She felt a slight vibration tremble in the wall, as he pressed both hands on the sides of her head. He was breathing heavily, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. Inuyasha had been drinking? How had he managed to get alcohol? Oh. Grandpa, obviously. Inuyasha had probably found her Grandpa's alcohol, and this was what happened. This situation might have been comical, if she wasn't in this position herself. Her eyes were still tightly shut. Wincing, she opened an eye, only to find Inuyasha's golden irises peering back at her innocently. Then his body shook violently, and fell onto her. She blushed, but supported his weight, trying hard not to think about how awkward this position was. She felt him shift suddenly;  it was only several moments later that she realized he was sniffing her! Kagome blushed furiously. "What are you doing?" she snapped. 

"You smell preeeeeeeettttttyyyyyyyyy," he replied drunkenly. 

"Thanks," she blushed, knowing that he was only saying so because he was drunk. Without warning, his hand reached into his clothes, and he pulled out another bottle of her Grandpa's alcohol. He tipped the bottle to his lips, and chugged down more than half the liquid before Kagome managed to wrestle the bottle away from him. He seemed to wince as she yanked the bottle away from him, as if the haste with which it was done hurt his eyes. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed as his body went limp in her arms. "Inuyasha, can you hear me?" she shouted in his ear.

He stirred groggily. "Yessssssssss. Can youuuuuuuuuu hearrrrrrr meeeeeee?" Kagome sighed, and wrapping one of his arms around her neck, she helped him over to her bed after carefully setting the alcohol bottle on her desk. He didn't seem to protest; the alcohol was beginning to make him sleepy. His eyelids flickered softly. 

Kagome sighed. "What am I supposed to do now?" She'd never really been in this sort of situation before; her mom always handled Grandpa when he was drunk, so Kagome had never gotten a chance to do anything. She supposed the only thing she could do for Inuyasha now was to let him rest. She moved to leave, not realizing that his eyes had shot opened, as if he knew her intentions.  

"Donnn't go, Kaag- Kagomme- Kagome!" he slurred. He didn't sound as drunk as he had before, Kagome thought with relief. Hopefully he had finally managed some control over his speaking skills. She turned towards him, smiling softly. 

"You need your rest now," she replied gently. He twitched, and rolled out of bed, by her side in a flash. His face was inches away from hers, though he wasn't swaying as much as before. "Will you stayyy-stay herrre, Kagome?" he inquired. When she didn't respond, he moved subtly, and rested his head on her shoulder. His rash movements had taken far too much out of him, and he couldn't muster the strength to stand up without leaning on her. There it was, that blush again. She had never blushed so much around him. Probably because he had never been so bold. 

"Will you stay here with me, Kagome?" he murmured again wearily. Kagome was surprised to hear that he spoke his words with ease; there lingered no trace of his drunken speech. And yet, she couldn't help but think that he was drunk, even now. 

"I'll stay," she replied, playing along. She would wait until he was asleep peacefully, and then she would make her exit, leaving him alone to recover. Sighing at the mess they had gotten into, she led him once more over to her bed. He had taken her hand into his in the process, and even though he had buried himself beneath the covers, his grip upon her fingers would not relinquish. Kagome smiled nervously, trying to pry her fingers away. But he simply would not let go. He only glared at her and closed an eye, keeping the other open to stare at her accusingly. Gradually, the lid began to flicker, and it finally closed, content. Kagome sighed with relief, and embarrassment. Would he remember all of this in the morning? She hoped not; it was embarrassing enough having him exhibiting such tenderness towards her while he was drunk. How could she face him after this if he knew the truth? She sighed after deciding that she wouldn't tell him after he woke up the next morning. It was for the best. But, she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if he had really had meant what he said. What would it have been like if he really knew what he was saying? But he was Inuyasha, and probably far too proud to tell her anything anyway. It would have been nice, she thought, not knowing how he really felt about her. She doubted he had feelings for her in the first place. However, she felt for him, and a girl could dream, couldn't she? A melancholy smile rested upon her lips. 

"Why do you look so sad?" Inuyasha's voice startled her, and she jerked back again, but he was still holding her hand, so she really couldn't move around too freely. 

"Oh, it's nothing," she lied. He didn't look like he believed her. 

"I like it when you smile," he remarked softly. His words hurt a lot. She knew he was still drunk. 

"Oh," she whispered, suddenly not having the strength to comment further. Kagome, feeling far too uncomfortable at his gaze, tried to pull away. She had to get out of here. And fast. He still wouldn't let go. 

"Inuyasha, I have to go now," she whispered, brushing at the tears welling up in her eyes. 

"You said you would stay," he replied stubbornly.

 "But you need to get some rest now- and I would only bother you," Kagome said hastily, her brain fumbling for her excuse.  

"You never bother me." Inuyasha tugged gently on her arm, and she obediently followed, confused, anguished, and thrilled by his words. She blushed, hoping that her mother wouldn't come in. After all, who wouldn't get the wrong impression from two people sleeping in the same bed? She definitely didn't intend it in that way. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, snuggling as close as possible to her. It was strange. Strange how right it felt, locked up in his arms. Kagome felt guilty for some reason, feeling that she was taking advantage of this moment. But he wouldn't remember in the morning anyway, so why not enjoy it? Her muscles lost their tension, and she savored the moment; every second was a new memory stored and tucked away. 

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, after a few moments.

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

"I'm glad you stayed," he replied, his arms tightening around her.

She smiled weakly, a tear falling gracefully from her eyes. At least he couldn't see it. "I am, too."

Kagome had her face turned away from his, but she had the oddest sensation that he was smiling. 

"Kagome." Inuyasha stated. "Look at me." For the second time, she obeyed, and his fingers moved quickly to brush away the single tear. He didn't say anything else. It seemed that there was no need to. His eyes closed then, dead to the world around him, but his gaze never lost its tight reign. Kagome felt her breath stopping in her throat at his innocent expression. Angelic, really. 

"Inuyasha?" she whispered. 

"Yes?" he replied, keeping his eyes shut. 

"Do you still need me to stay with you?"

"I'll always need you to stay with me." Inuyasha murmured his last few words before falling asleep. It was the last thing that she heard before she too, drifted off into a peaceful slumber.


	3. Suspicion

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Drunken Demon

* * *

A cardinal, fluttering its wings, hopped onto Kagome's windowsill and began singing in high, shrill notes. Inside, Inuyasha's ears twitched lightly as the sound of the cardinal's song drifted over to him. He stirred, preparing to throw something at the window- anything to make that dreadful racket stop. But with a suppressed groan, he sank back into the bed, clutching his forehead. What the hell was wrong with him? He couldn't remember most of what had happened after he had taken a drink from that water bottle. No memory, and a headache that hurt like hell. It felt like Miroku had hit him with his staff. The pain was intense. Well, if he got some more rest, maybe the headache would be gone by the time he woke up. It sounded like a smart plan to him. His eyes closed, and he started to nod off. A second later:

"_What the hell_?" Inuyasha bolted up, immediately regretting it when the pain in his head intensified greatly. A bed? Since when had his world had a bed? He winced. It didn't. He opened an eye slowly, and swallowed nervously. This looked like Kagome's room. He swallowed again. This _was_ Kagome's room. He panicked. What was going on? How had he ended up in here? The last thing he recalled, he had been in the living room. Or, so he thought. Perhaps that water really was tainted- but if not, then why couldn't he remember anything? He stiffened as he felt something tighten around his arm. Already horrified at the situation he was in, he figured that things couldn't possibly get worse. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Inuyasha looked down to find Kagome snuggled up warmly against him, her head resting on his arm. His golden eyes shone with fear. Who put Kagome there? 

He glanced at her worriedly. How would she react to find him there? But he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She looked so peaceful. "Feh," he snorted. He was starting to become too soft. It simply wouldn't do. A sweet scent caught his attention, and he sniffed at the air curiously. That smelled very nice. Pretty, in fact. Where was it coming from? Kagome? Hmm. He peered at her carefully. It _was_ coming from Kagome. She smelled pretty. Why didn't he tell her? And then, out of nowhere, there came an odd, sinking feeling that he had told her. He scratched his head. 

"I must be going crazy," Inuyasha muttered to himself. He tried to move his arm, but Kagome protested sleepily and hugged his arm even tighter. He scowled. Great. This was _exactly_ what he wanted to happen, he thought sarcastically to himself. "Kagome," he whispered, poking her gently. She didn't move, so he tried again. "Kagome, wake up." All of a sudden, her arm came out of nowhere and smacked him in the face as she stirred sleepily. 

"Ow! Hey!" he shouted, startled. His shouting was what woke her up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. After a while, she seemed to realize that she wasn't alone, and turned to face Inuyasha. "Huh?"

The place where she hit him had left a red mark on his face. "You know, you should watch where you're aiming that thing!" he grumbled. 

Kagome looked bewildered. "Eh?" she said, obviously very confused. 

"Your hand! Didn't you feel it collide with my face?" Inuyasha asked, irritated slightly. 

Kagome smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Inuyasha." 

"It's okay," he muttered. He suddenly glanced at her, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at her. "How come you don't seem surprised to find me here?" he asked. 

An expression, though he couldn't tell what it was, crossed over Kagome's face. "You mean you don't remember?" Kagome asked, looking at him strangely. 

He shook his head. "I can remember bits and pieces, but I'm drawing a blank on everything else that happened yesterday."

Kagome seemed to pause thoughtfully. "Oh. Well, you passed out yesterday from drinking too much of my Grandpa's alcohol. So I carried you here and- I guess I fell asleep." She avoided making eye contact with him, so Inuyasha knew she was lying. But he couldn't tell about what. Wait a minute. 

"You mean that _wasn't _water that I drank?" he asked, surprised. 

Kagome blinked. "Of course not. It was alcohol. If it was water, wouldn't it have said so on the tag?" 

Inuyasha groaned. "That's what I thought. But I thought it was some fancy name that your world had given it." He shook his head. "That explains a lot." When Kagome didn't respond, he glanced over at her. She looked upset. 

"Kagome, are you all right?" he immediately inquired. 

She appeared startled at her voice, snapping out of her daze. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

He scowled. "Don't lie to me, Kagome. I know you better than that." Honestly, didn't she think that he could tell when she was lying to him? Pain was written all over her face, as much as she tried to hide it. "Well?" he asked expectantly after a few moments. 

"I said it was nothing," she replied. 

"Well, I don't believe you."

"Maybe it's none of your business!" she snapped. 

"It is if you're upset!" he snapped back. 

"I don't need your pity!"

"It's not pity, it's concern!" Inuyasha retorted. It should have been nothing, this little fight. After all, they argued all the time, why should this time be different? But he had the distinct feeling that there was something vital that he was missing, something that he should have remembered. He was certain that Kagome knew something that he didn't, and that it was what had set her off. 

"Well, I don't need your concern!" Kagome shouted. 

"Fine!" Inuyasha snapped. He got up to leave, but started having second thoughts about his decision after a wave of nausea and dizziness hit him. He flopped back onto the bed, exhausted. Kagome's worried face loomed over his. 

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" she asked. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." He turned his gaze away, though. He suddenly felt her move to sit beside him. Inuyasha heard Kagome sigh.

"I'm sorry about what I said, Inuyasha. I didn't mean it."

"It's no big deal," Inuyasha replied. In all actuality, he had been stung by her words. What could have caused her to say such things? 

"Mmm," Kagome sighed absentmindedly. 

"Say, Kagome. Can I ask you a question?" Inuyasha quipped. He could sense the way she stiffened, and her hesitation to respond was evident. 

"Sure," she finally replied. 

"What's wrong? You know that you can tell me what's bothering you," he said. "You don't have to be afraid of me teasing you or something, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, that's not it," Kagome replied distractedly. She was probably thinking about how she could get away without telling him anything. 

"Then why won't you tell me?" Inuyasha turned and faced her, staring up at her from his resting position. Stupid alcohol. It had weakened him greatly. 

"It's not important," Kagome hastily answered. 

Before Inuyasha could say anything, Mrs. Hiragashi's voice drifted up from the kitchen. "Kagome! You'll be late for school! Hurry up!" 

"Ack! School! I almost forgot!" Kagome exclaimed. Inuyasha watched her curiously as she gathered her things together and hastily stuffed them into her backpack. "I didn't even finish my homework," he heard her mutter. Was that his fault? She had probably been taking care of him all night long.

"Will you get into trouble for that, Kagome?" he inquired in concern. She looked up, seemingly surprised that he had heard her.

"Oh! It's no big deal, really. I'll just do it during lunch!" Kagome replied. Inuyasha watched as she flung open her closet and grabbed a new school uniform. He noted that she actually was wearing her school uniform- only it was wrinkled. Had she fallen asleep wearing it? That meant- she'd even been taking care of him since she came home from school! He was surprised, but had no time to ask her questions. 

"I have to go to school now, Inuyasha. Take care, okay? And try to get some rest before we go back to the feudal era. Bye!" Kagome said, leaving the room with haste. 

"Stay here? Yeah, right," Inuyasha snorted. There was no way in hell he was going to stay here! He was going to get some answers from Kagome, whether she liked it or not. And he knew just who to turn to. Kaede. He leapt up from the bed, ignoring the heavy thudding in his head, trying to summon enough strength to return home. 

Mrs. Hiragashi entered the room a minute later to wash the laundry, when she noticed something amiss. A light breeze fluttered into Kagome's room, entering from an open window. Shrugging, she closed the window, unaware of the departing figure outside. 


	4. Thinking of Him

* * *

Drunken Demon

* * *

Kagome sank into her seat with a sigh. She had managed to avoid Inuyasha for now, but how long could she go on without telling him the truth? At the same time, she couldn't possibly tell him what had really happened! A blush settled over her cheeks even as she thought about it. Kagome couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep at three o'clock in the afternoon! She had been out cold. Surprisingly, her mother didn't come upstairs to check up on her. Or had she? Kagome gasped suddenly. 

"I am in _so_ much trouble," Kagome muttered to herself. 

"Something the matter, Kagome?" Hojo's voice interrupted her thoughts. 

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing," she replied hastily. Hojo was a nice young man, but it was odd how he was always in the same area she was standing around in. More like freaky, she thought. Her friends had teased her about him- they all, for some reason, believed that Hojo actually liked her! She had laughed at the comments then, but still. What if her friends were right? Nah, she thought. As if to confirm her suspicions, Hojo cleared his throat.

"Kagome, I was wondering. Would you like to see a movie with me this weekend?" he suddenly asked. "On a date, I mean?" 

Kagome suddenly straightened in her seat. What? Was he seriously asking her out? As flattered as she was, she knew how deep her feelings were for Inuyasha. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm kind of with someone already," she replied. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. Actually, she thought it over. Okay, so maybe it was a lie. But she had very strong feelings for Inuyasha, even if he didn't feel anything for her. So the technicalities weren't important, right? 

Hojo looked crestfallen, but then his expression changed. 

"You have a boyfriend? I'm the one who should be sorry! I should've checked to see if you already had a boyfriend before I asked you out. You must think I'm so rude! How about I buy you dinner, to make up for this stupid mistake? I won't take no for an answer!" And with that, he whisked away, all set on planning the dinner arrangements. Kagome groaned. How had she been forced into a date when she had been lying to avoid one? She shook her head. Boys. 

And speaking of boys. She let her thoughts wander back to Inuyasha. "I can't bear to face him. Not after that..." she whispered to herself. Great. What now? After all, she was the shard detector. She couldn't neglect her duties. She placed her head in her hands, covering her face as she tried to think of an answer. Maybe she could avoid Inuyasha completely while she was there. Yeah, that was it! She'd just- hide behind Sango and Miroku- when they weren't busy snuggling- and get the shards with their help! Oh, wait. Knowing him, he'd insist on coming along, arguing that she wouldn't be safe without him. What was it with him, anyhow? Always insisting on being there to protect her. As if she couldn't handle things herself. Honestly, he could be so arrogant sometimes! But was it arrogance? Or maybe...Kagome found herself thinking….concern? 

"No way!" she suddenly exclaimed. The classroom suddenly became eerily quiet as her classmates ceased their conversations and turned to stare at her. 

"What?" she snapped. They immediately looked away and started talking again. 

She was not acting like herself. It was definitely the stress of hiding a secret from Inuyasha. She had _never_ been able to keep a secret from him. Kagome tapped her pencil lightly against the surface of her desk, thinking quietly to herself.  

What should she do? Bits of the morning conversation floated into her head. 

"What's wrong? You know that you can tell me what's bothering you." 

"You don't have to be afraid of me teasing you or something, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not afraid of you teasing me..." she whispered quietly to herself. "I'm afraid you might not feel the same."

She stole a quick peek at the clock hanging over the teacher's desk. Only five more minutes until class began. Kagome groaned, She definitely didn't feel like being here. Maybe she should skip school today. And go back to the feudal era. 

But then, that would only take her...

Back to Inuyasha. 

Kagome bit her lip and stood up. The teacher had just entered the classroom, and was staring at her. 

"Are you feeling all right, Kagome?" He asked. 

She shook her head. "Actually, I'm feeling kind of sick. Would it be okay if I just went home?"

He appeared concerned, and he wrinkled his brow in a moment of thoughtfulness. "Well, I'd normally send you to the nurse's room first, but you look very unwell. So I might as well send you straight home anyway. Feel better, Higurashi."

Kagome nodded and bowed politely. Did she really look that sick? She shrugged, gathering her things before she departed from the classroom. 

"Kagome! Where are you going?" a familiar voice called out from behind her. 

Kagome blinked and turned around. It was Hojo. "Oh. I'm going home. I'm not feeling well." She knew that he would buy that excuse, being that she had often been permitted to leave school early on account of being "sick". Well, that was the excuse, anyway. What else was she supposed to tell them? The truth? Yeah, right. She was going to tell them to please excuse her so she could run off to another time period so that she could travel with a demon- a half-demon, that is, a demon exterminator, a monk, and a shape shifter to find sacred jewel shards before an evil demon found it and took over the world. Right. 

Kagome finally seemed to realize that Hojo had gone back inside the classroom. 

"...and I'd like to walk her home," she heard Hojo saying. Kagome suddenly blinked. He was talking to the teacher. Who was he talking about, though? Wait. Her? Eep. 

The teacher waved his hand in casual dismissal. Hojo nodded, and quickly rejoined her. "I'm going to walk you home, Kagome!"

What could she say to that? Um.

"Okay?" Kagome replied, still confused. What just happened?

Hojo began talking to her enthusiastically as they left school and began approaching her house. It was hard for her to pay attention, being that her mind was on something else. And there was the fact that he was talking faster than she could comprehend. She'd always known that he was an outgoing person, and felt guilty about not being open-minded and paying attention to what he was saying. He was a rather popular person, and a bright boy too. When it came to studying, that is. Kagome had kind of noticed that he was a bit slow on other things. Things like common sense. Struggling to recompose herself, she tuned in to what Hojo was saying. 

"How's that, Kagome?" he suddenly asked, unaware that she had practically not been paying attention the entire time. 

"Huh?" she replied unintelligently. 

"For dinner. How would you like to go to my place? I can cook a great gourmet meal!" Hojo smiled. 

Kagome laughed nervously. Good thing Hojo was _so_ modest. She felt guilty about lying, but she felt that it would come easier than the truth- which was that she would really rather not lead him on into thinking she liked him. Hojo was, after all, the first boy who had ever liked her. She paused thoughtfully. Well, Kouga had been unusually _friendly_ towards her, but she was sure it wasn't anything that trod further than friendship. At least, she _thought_ so. 

"Well..." she began reluctantly. 

"Great!" Hojo replied. "I'll see you tonight, then! Pick you up around seven? Bye!" 

Kagome, who had been too dumbfounded to speak, watched as he dashed off home. Rubbing her temples in exasperation, she crossed the few remaining steps towards her front door. Unprepared to face him after he had questioned her like that in the morning, she decided that she would actually rather not spend her afternoon avoiding Inuyasha's questions, she seated herself on the top step. She didn't know what to do. What she also didn't know was that Inuyasha was not in her room, where she had told him to stay. Sighing, she rested her chin on her hands, watching the clouds drift lazily over the sky. Little did she know, that the object of her daydreams was in the feudal era, pestering an old woman to help him understand what was wrong with her. 

A hollow emptiness seemed to fill her body as she thought about his words over and over again. And then she knew exactly what to do. 

Tell him everything!

She would tell him the truth. If he didn't believe her- or looked like he was about to tease her, she would just say that she was kidding! Convinced that she was a genius, a smile found its way to her lips. She was relieved now that she had planned everything out. But Inuyasha was still a big idiot for getting drunk in the first place. It was completely and absolutely his fault that this had happened. Kagome frowned for a moment. 

And wondered. 

When the time came, would it be so easy to tell him?

She crossed her arms thoughtfully. 

Kagome would just have to find out. Taking a deep breath, she entered her house. 

She was ready to admit it all. 

* * *

(A.N. Wow. It's been a really long time since I updated this story. I know that this chapter wasn't exactly the most exciting chapter, but I think most stories sort of encounter a bit of a snag somewhere in the middle. But the good thing is, that once you get past the little bumps, it means that there's a more exciting part that will come along. To be honest about why it took so long for me to update, I'll tell you. It wasn't school, or because I was writing my other fan fictions. It was because I had _major_ writer's block for this story. I had absolutely no idea where I was going to go from the last chapter. After a long debate, I went along with this situation with Kagome, but I wasn't sure how it would play into all of this. But, finally, I know where I'm going with the story, and I plan to finish up the chapter- which is halfway finished- and update it either before or after spring break. I really want to thank the reviewers, and I'm really sorry about the slow updates. Thanks for bearing with me. Please review if you liked this chapter, or if you have any comments. Expect an update soon!) 


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